Salute to Spouses Blog

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Asleep at the Wheel

Government furloughs are here. And suddenly, everyone is screaming.

So, what have you been doing since the plan was announced, months ago, signaling the coming of this day? 

Nothing.

And that’s what Americans, especially military spouses, seem to be good at.

Our nation was built by men and women who stood up for their rights, who fought, who were active in their local government, who took part in solving the problem.

We, as their proud descendants, just sit around and complain. We live fat on the spoils of their hard-earned freedoms while a few still work to keep the nation afloat.

And the majority of us never get involved until the problems fall squarely into the middle our laps, messing with our daily schedule.

Commissary hours change. The lines are longer at the airport during PCS season. And, gasp! Our tax returns may take longer to process meaning we can’t run out and immediately buy more gaming systems! Oh, the horror!  

I realize I am minimizing the potential for furlough induced disaster that has been expressed by every federal agency from NOAA to the DOD. However, it’s hard to convince people that fewer meteorologists sitting behind computers really affect them until there is no one at work to push the tornado warning siren as a storm rips through their town.

It’s hard to convince Americans that this really is about them, their neighbors and their way of life.

We’ve forgotten about the thousands of families whose paychecks will now be significantly less through September because of this policy. Same bills - less money.

Last year when the edge of the fiscal cliff meant military families would receive zero dollars in their next paychecks, no one seemed to notice thousands of us scramble, my family included, trying to figure out how we would buy food if that policy lasted more than one pay period.

Luckily, military pay has been exempted from this round of cuts. Government paychecks have not. Our co-workers, neighbors and friends are going to face hard times. Meanwhile, we are fussing about not being able to grab a gallon of milk at the commissary whenever we want.

And for those of us who declare, “Bring on the furlough, cuts need to be made” – sure, our government needs to trim the budget and bring the deficit down. But, across the board cuts, made with a thoughtless, machete slash rather than a well-placed incision, are not the way to go.

Families are going to hurt and suffer. Communities are going to be strained. Eventually, everyone is going to feel this one.

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